Method and composition for improving milling products



Patented July 20, 1937 PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND COMPOSITION FOR IMPROV- ING MILLING PRODUCTS Frederick H. Penn, Dallas, Tex.

No Drawing. Application January 13, 1936, Serial No. 58,982

9 Claims.

This application is a ,continuation-in-part of my earlier application, Serial #732,536, filed June 26, 1934, which is in turn a continuation-in-part of application, Serial #690,769, filed September My invention relates to the treatment of milling products and more particularly has reference to a process and composition for bleaching, maturing and improving the baking and keeping qualities of wheat flour and other grain flour, vegetable flours and other milling products.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a process and composition for bleaching, maturing or aging and otherwise improving flour and other milling products, whereby a treating gas is generated within the milling product, thereby overcoming the difficulties incident to the use of gaseous treating agents, and whereby fiour and other milling products can be satisfactorily bleached and improved by the use of chlorinated powdered compounds capable of liberating chlo- It has heretofore been proposed to bleach Hour and the like with chlorine in gaseous form but such treatment has been found to possess numerous disadvantages. In order to obtain-a satisfactory bleach the excessive amount of chlorinecontaining gas required is injurious to the'quality of the flour. Many of the bleaching gases of this character are explosive and dangerous to handle and hence must be manufactured at the mill where the bleaching is done, special equipment and attention being required.

A present form of general milling practice comprises an initial treatment of the fiourin tumblers or closed containers with nitrogen trichloride gas. This has an aging or maturing effect and eliminates storage and the time element to bring about the proper and necessary conditioning of the 40 flour. Nitrogen trichloride is also a bleaching agent but injures the quality of the flour if used in sufficient amount to secure the desired color. Hence the nitrogen trichloride is used only in such amount as to mature the fiour, the necessary bleaching being accomplished by the addition of powdered bleaching agents. This is an expensive two-step operation and has the further disadvantage that the nitrogen trichloride is a gas and very explosive. The gas must be manufactured at the mill and applied with special apparatus under special attention.

I have found that calcium hypochlorite of high available chlorine content can be rendered suitable for use in the aging and bleaching of milling products, in a simple one-step process, when employed in conjunction with certain powdered ammonium compounds or salts. The chlorineliberating compound of the present process and composition is the dry, free-flowing, finely powdered, high chlorine containingcalcium hypo- 5 chlorite containing approximately to available chlorine and is the hypochlorite referred to herein and in the claims hereto.

The ammonium compounds of the present invention are employed as finely ground dry freeflowing powders in intimate admixture with the hypochlorite and the flour. They react, in the presence of the normal moisture content of the flour, with the hypochlorite, to form a bleaching and maturing agent in the flour. A substantial bleaching, aging and improvement of the flour is efiected by simultaneous subjection to the action of the hypochlorite and ammonium compounds.

Suitable ammonium compounds for reaction with the hypochlorite are, for example, ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulphate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium. bromide, ammonium chloride and ammonium nitrate. Other ammonium compounds susceptible to line grinding, as dry free-flowing powders capable of reacting with the hypochlorite within the milling product to form a treating gas, may be used. The ammonium compounds readily react with the hypochlorite powder in the flour to form a bleaching and maturing agent in situ so that, aside from mixing the reagents with the milling product, no special treatment or equipment is required to process the flour in accordance with the invention. 35

The hypochlorite and the readily reactive ammonium compounds should be added separately but simultaneously to the flour and well mixed therewith while the more stable ammonium sulphate or phosphate may be pre mixed with the hypochlorite as a suitably proportioned, marketable composition and added together to the flour as such. The powdered compositions should be kept dry, as by packing in moisture proof containers, to prevent deterioration and reaction between the constituents thereof in damp climates.

Only small amounts of the composition or reagents are necessary; for example, excellent bleaching and maturing of a 198 pound barrel of fiour being obtained by intimate incorporation thereinto of one-half ounce, or more if required, of a suitably proportioned mixture of the hypochlorite and ammonium compounds. Satisfactory proportions for general use consist of 70% calcium hypochlorite and 30% ammonium com- 55 pound. A satisfactory pre-mixed composition consists of 70% calcium hypochlorite and 30% ammonium phosphate or ammonium sulphate. These percentages may be varied and by test the proportion best suited may be determined for the particular grade of milling product to be treated. Dry, free-flowing finely powdered fillers or diluents, such as di-calcium phosphate, may be used with the ammonium compound to increase the bulk and facilitate ease of handling and feeding.

The ammonium powder and the hypochlorite powder are fed directly into the fiour orthe like and intimately mixed therewith by means of the powder feeding devices of the type now commonly used in the mills. As already stated, no other treatment is required to react the powders to form the active bleaching and improving agent, this taking place within 12 to 24 hours simply by exposing the intimately associated reagents together within the flour, the normal moisture content of which apparently initiates the reaction.

By the term dry, as applied in the appended claims to the milling products, it is meant that the milling product, although containing its normal or usual moisture content, has not been intentionally wetted by-addition of water as is done, for example, in the making of dough.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A method for improving flour and like milling products, including the baking and keeping qualities thereof, which comprises thoroughly mixing with the dry milling product a dry freefiowing finely powdered calcium hypochlolite and a dry free-flowing finely powdered ammoni-- um compound capable of and in such amount as to react the calcium hypochlorite and the ammonium compound in the presence of the dry milling product to form a flour bleaching and maturing agent, and exposing the milling product in the dry form to the action of said agent for a time period adequate to effect substantial bleaching and maturing of the dry milling product.

2. A method for improving flour and like milling products, including the baking and keeping qualities thereof, which comprises thoroughly mixing with the dry milling product a major portion of a dry free-flowing finely powdered calcium hypochlorlte and a minor portion of a dry free-flowing finely powdered ammonium compound capable of and in such amount as to react the calcium hypochlorite and the ammonium compound in the presence of the dry milling product to form a flour bleaching and maturing agent and exposing the milling product in the dry form to the action of said agent for a time period adequate to effect substantial bleaching and maturing of the dry milling product. 3. A method for improving fiour and like milling products, including the baking and keeping qualities thereof, which comprises thoroughly mixing with the dry milling product a dry freefiowing finely powdered calcium ypo hlorite and a dry free-flowing finely powdered ammonium phosphate capable of and in such amount as to react the calcium hypochlorite and the ammonium phosphate in the presence of the dry milling product to form a flour bleaching and maturing agent and exposing the milling product in the dry form to the action of said agent for a time period adequate to effect substantial bleaching and maturing of the dry milling product.

4. A method for improving flour and like milling products,- including the baking and keeping qualities thereof, which comprises thoroughly mixing with the dry milling product a dry freefiowing fl'nely powdered calcium hypochlorite and a dry free-flowing finely powdered ammonium sulphate capable of and in such amount as to react the calcium hypochloriteand the ammonium sulphate in the presence of the dry milling product to form a flour bleaching and maturing agent and exposing the milling product in the dry form to the action of said agent for a time period adequate to effect substantial bleaching and maturing of the dry milling product.

5. A method for improving flour and like milling products, including the baking and keeping qualities thereof, which comprises thoroughly mixing with the dry milling product a dry freeflowing finely powdered calcium hypochlorite and a dry free-flowing finely powdered ammonium carbonate capable of and in such amount asto react the calcium hypochlorite and the ammonium carbonate in' the presence of the dry milling product to Iowa flour bleaching and maturing agent and exposing the milling product in the dry form to the action of said agent for a time period adequate to effect substantial bleaching and maturing of the dry milling product.

6. A method for improving fiour and like milling products which comprises mixing with the dry milling product a dry, free-flowing, finely powdered calcium hypochlorite containing approximately to available chlorine and a dry, free-flowing, powdered ammonium compound capable of and in such amount as to react with said hypochlorite in the presence of the dry milling product to form a fiour bleaching and maturing agent, and exposing the milling product in dry form to the action of said agent for a time period adequate to effect substantial bleaching and maturing thereof.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 further characterized in that saidammonlum compound consists of a phosphate.

8. The method as defined in claim 6 further characterized in that said ammonium compound consists of a sulphate.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 further characterized in that said ammonium compound consists of a carbonate.

FREDERICK H. PENN. 

